With the first round of blind auditions kicking off on last night’s season premiere of The Voice, Australia was taken with the vocal stylings of Bella Taylor Smith, a 23-year-old singing teacher from Sydney.
The singer had all four judges turning in their seats long before the end of her performance, and before her breath-taking high note in the final seconds of her audition song, Beyonce’s Ave Maria.
She finished the song with tears in her eyes as she appraised the four coaches who all wanted to steal her for their team.
“I’m just really excited to be here, and to share something, and it just feels like the right time for me, so I’m really blessed to be here,” she said when Rita Ora asked what was going through her head.
“The joy that comes from music is something that’s always worth sharing,” she told the coaches.
With coach Guy Sebastian blocking Jess Mauboy from gaining Bella on her team, he connected with the young teacher by explaining that he, like Bella, had also grown up singing in church, leading her to choose to join his team.
“It was nice having that connection with him, it made me feel safe, comfortable, and really excited for what is ahead,” Bella told Sunrise.
“It’s been really, really sweet and lovely – all of my students are so excited,” Bella said of the reaction to her audition, which is going viral.
Bella discussed her background in the church in her pre-audition interview, saying “I never really knew why I could sing or what I was going to do with it until I started going to church.”
“Growing up was a little messy, I’ve definitely taken on quite a lot. I’m helping to raise my younger sister Gabby,” she divulged.
“I’m so excited for my two sisters, Gabby and Sophia, to see me chasing after something that I’m passionate about,” she said.
Bella’s Instagram is full of beautiful nature-based pictures, as well as the documented journey of creating her first EP, ‘tell me how you really feel?’ which is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
She announced a break from posting anything music-related at the end of July, saying it was ‘for a very good reason!’, going on to announce she had auditioned for The Voice.
Bella also posted a clip from her audition, which received some very high-profile praise.
“A literal angel 😇,” wrote Jules Sebastian, Guy’s wife.
“This was so magic,” wrote artist Jack River.
“YESSSSS THATS MY SISTER EVERYONE,” wrote Bella’s sister Gabby excitedly.
Bella has also already proven herself to be a favourite among fans of the show, with multiple tweets singing her praises last night.
We can’t wait to see more of Bella on The Voice!
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